When I hear the word management, it often reminds me of Charlie Chaplin’s classic movie “Modern Times.” Perhaps it’s my experience on the production floor, but also because over the years, what I’ve seen done in the name of management is often massive “Mismanagement.” We urgently need more leaders, and it’s vital to understand that management is decidedly NOT leadership.

Leadership👑 : A Choice, Not a Corporate Rank

Many misunderstand what true leadership is, often confusing it with a position of authority or a corporate title. While individuals at the pinnacle of an organization certainly hold power and authority, this doesn’t automatically qualify them as effective leaders. We may obey those with authority due to their position, but we follow genuine leaders. This fundamental distinction is critical in understanding modern leadership.

A thesaurus might suggest that the best synonym for leadership is management. Maybe it used to be, but it no longer is. Leadership is not management. Leadership is all about bringing about a change that you believe in. Leaders create a cause, and causes make things happen.

Here’s how authentic leaders stand apart from traditional managers:

🚀 Leaders have followers. They inspire allegiance through shared vision and purpose.

🚀 Managers have employees. Their relationships are typically based on hierarchy and assigned duties.

🚀 Managers make widgets. Their focus is often on processes, efficiency, and maintaining the status quo, ensuring consistent output.

🚀 Leaders make a change. They innovate, challenge, and transform.

Why Do We Need Change? The Perils of Stagnation (🚧🚶🏽⚠️)

Isn’t change scary? No, it’s scary not to change. Here we are, living in a world where we have the power to make things happen, the ability to do work we believe in, and the marketplace is begging us to be unique, remarkable, to be a unicorn. And yet, we are stuck.

We’re stuck following archaic rules. Even in our personal lives, we often feel compelled to obey outdated laws: Go to school. Get a Job. Get Married. Have Children. Retire. Wait for death. But it doesn’t stop there; we’re stuck in industries that not only avoid change but actively fight it. We’re stuck in fear of what our parents, neighbors, society, and boss will say. Designers are stuck too, creating unsustainable products that are destroying the planet for the sake of industrial greed. Bankers are stuck and shackled to satisfy Wall Street.

We are stuck because we’re afraid we’ll get into trouble. Most of all, we are stuck acting like managers or employees, instead of like the leaders we could become. We resemble a factory instead of a community. That’s one more reason why this whole topic reminds me of “Modern Times.” The fear of change in a mega-factory is appropriate where standardization is key to efficiency and synchronicity. But again, what does Darwin say about those who don’t evolve? Let me whisper it to you: “they perish.” Today, the fear of change has become our enemy; it’s now the very thing standing in our way.

The Power of Belief in Leadership 💪🧠

“How was your day?” is a question that matters a lot more than it seems. It turns out that the people who like their jobs the most are also the ones who are doing the best work, making the greatest impact, and changing the most. They’re changing the way they see the world, sure, but also changing the world itself. By challenging the status quo, a cadre of heretics is discovering that one person, just one, can make a huge difference.

Leadership is about belief in an idea and in creating a cause and a community around it. Do you believe in what you do? Every freaking day? It turns out that belief happens to be a brilliant strategy. A community feeds on the beliefs, persona, and the standard the leader sets and expresses for himself in his thoughts, words, and deeds. A true leader has nothing else. They don’t pay someone to follow them. They don’t wield the scepter of threat that the manager exploits.

Lessons from the Pandemic: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever 📝💯

This global pandemic has powerfully highlighted three very important things that underscore why we need more leaders now:

👉 Many people are starting to realize that they work a lot, often without job security or benefits, and that working on stuff they believe in (and making things happen) is much more satisfying than just getting a paycheck and waiting to get fired (or die). This realization is fueling a demand for purpose-driven work.

👉 Many organizations have discovered that the factory-centric model of producing goods and services is not nearly as profitable as it used to be. Furthermore, treating employees like emotionless robots is no longer going to work. After the Great Resignation in the USA, where 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in August 2021, across an array of industries, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, tells TIME: “[Employees] don’t want to return to backbreaking or boring, low wage, sh-t jobs. Workers are burned out. They’re fed up. They’re fried. In the wake of so much hardship and illness and death during the past year, they’re not going to take it anymore.” This signifies a clear demand for more employee engagement and human-centric organizational culture.

👉 Many consumers have decided to spend their money buying things that aren’t mass-produced commodities. They want to support the producers, creators, and issues they care about. They are choosing to spend their time and money on fashion, on stories, on things that matter to them, and on things they believe in. This shift in consumer behavior emphasizes the power of connection and shared values.

Everyone Can Be a Leader: Seizing the Opportunity 👥🌱🌟

It’s simple: there are tribes everywhere now, inside and outside of organizations, in public and in private, in nonprofits, in classrooms, across the planet. Every one of these tribes is yearning for leadership and connection. This is an immense opportunity for you—an opportunity to find or assemble a tribe and lead it. The question isn’t, Is it possible for me to do that? Now, the question is, Will I choose to do it?

The boom in the usage of social media channels, combined with the increased leverage of individuals within organizations as well as within society, makes it possible for just about anyone to influence just about everything. Everyone can be a leader. Everyone can lead someone with their example, stories, experiences, products, humor, conduct, hobbies, art, interests, etc. This means that anyone who wants to make a difference can! Without leaders, there are no followers. You’re a leader! We need you!

🔥 Ignite the Change: Your Voice Matters, Now More Than Ever! 🔥

Feeling that powerful surge within? 🚀 That’s the undeniable spark of true leadership igniting! You’ve just unlocked why stepping up, dismantling old paradigms, and passionately believing in something greater isn’t just a good idea—it’s the absolute heartbeat of our world and our shared future. This isn’t merely an article; it’s a vibrant, urgent call to action for the leaders among us, yearning to break free and emerge! 🦋

If this message resonated deep in your soul ✨, if it electrified your thinking ⚡, or if it simply made you punch the air and shout “YES!” out loud 🤩, please don’t let that incredible energy dissipate!

Now, it’s YOUR extraordinary moment to LEAD this conversation:

✅ LIKE this article! 👍💖 Every single like is a resounding vote for authentic leadership to triumph over outdated, restrictive management. Let’s send a clear signal!

✅ SHARE it widely! 🌐📲 Cast this vital message far and wide! Send it to your most cherished tribe, your brilliant colleagues, your supportive friends, and absolutely anyone who needs to hear this empowering truth. Let’s make this crucial distinction go viral, ripple by ripple! 🌊

✅ COMMENT below! 🗣️💬 We’re genuinely eager to hear from you! What’s your unique, powerful definition of leadership? How will you choose to lead, starting today? We’re cultivating a vibrant, growing community of genuine change-makers right here, and your insights are truly priceless! 💎

Together, let’s collectively fan the flames 🔥 and ignite the profound change we are all yearning to witness. Your voice, your unwavering belief, and your decisive action begin right now! 💫 Together, we have the incredible power to forever redefine what it truly means to lead. 🌟